Tuesday, 22 July 2025
Investment in income-generating real estate assets in Romania totaled approximately €391 million during the first half of 2025, according to data from Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. This represents a slight decrease of 6.5% compared to the same period in 2024, when the volume reached €418 million. Despite the year-on-year decline, H1 2025 ranks as the second-best performing first half of the past 12 years, standing 30% above the average for the period.
Cushman & Wakefield Echinox participated in three of the largest transactions completed so far this year, with a combined value of €160 million, accounting for more than 40% of the total market volume.
These transactions included the sale of a portfolio of seven strip malls in Slobozia, Focșani, Râmnicu Sărat, Sebeș, Făgăraș, Târgu Secuiesc, and Gheorgheni; the sale of Focșani Mall; and the disposal of a significant portion of the IRIDE Business Park in Bucharest. The IRIDE complex consists of 17 mixed-use buildings for office, storage, and light production purposes, located on a 128,000 sqm plot near the Pipera metro station.
Cristi Moga, Head of Capital Markets at Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, noted that the results from the first half of 2025 reflect growing interest from foreign investors, who accounted for over 70% of the transaction volume. “The outlook for the second half of the year remains positive, considering ongoing negotiations and the historical trend of higher activity in H2. We expect the total annual investment volume to reach between €800 million and €1 billion,” he said.
By asset class, retail properties recorded the highest investment volume in H1 2025, amounting to €163 million and representing 42% of the total. Office assets followed with €126 million (32%), while mixed-use projects accounted for €55 million (14%).
The office sector experienced a notable recovery, rising from a 5% share in H1 2024 to nearly one-third of total investments in the first half of this year. This was attributed to improved office occupancy levels and a moderate decline in vacancy rates.
Among investor groups, those based in the United Kingdom were the most active, completing transactions totaling €148 million (38% of total), followed by Romanian investors with €105 million (27%), and Hungarian investors with €52 million (13%).
